


Old Pine

by ladyxdaydream



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Found Family, Getting Together, KakaIru Week 2019, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2020-10-12 20:23:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20570342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyxdaydream/pseuds/ladyxdaydream
Summary: Iruka was fairly content with his life. He liked his job, he lived comfortably, and he spent most of his spare time in the place he loved most—a stretch of old pine forest just outside of his small town.Everyone knew him and he knew everyone.Until somebody new showed up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My second submission for KakaIru Week 2019, filling the prompt “books”. 
> 
> This fic had a mind of its own! What started as a one-shot, expanded into a four chapter fic, and might keep expanding into a series, depending on where I take it! *nervous laugh*
> 
> With that said, the tags might change slightly. But nothing too drastic. 
> 
> Please enjoy! ≧◠‿◠≦

Iruka was busy placing books back on the shelf from the cart of returns, when he noticed someone enter the row across the aisle from his. A tall, lean man, whose silver hair attracted Iruka’s eyes first, before he roved them down his long limbs. Iruka privately raised an eyebrow to himself, interested in what he saw, but not enough to propel him forward. That is, not until he realized the man was browsing the romance novels, and _terrible_ ones at that. Iruka flipped a book around in his hand in contemplation, before putting it back on the cart and walking over. 

“Can I make a suggestion?” Iruka asked.

“Please. I’m a little lost here. There’s so many.”

Iruka reached up to the top shelf and pulled out a book with a hideous orange cover.

“If you’re looking for trashy romance novels, nothing’s better than _Icha_ _Icha_,” Iruka said, handing it over to him. “The writing’s just as corny, but the difference is in the plot. It’s porn with plot, unless you’d rather have the other.”

“Uh,” the man laughed nervously. “I prefer plot. It makes it more, uh—,”

“—enjoyable?” Iruka supplied, a grin on his face.

“Yeah,” the man smiled sheepishly, bringing Iruka’s attention to the beauty mark near his mouth.

“…Then you’ll like it.” Iruka said, trying to keep his cool, as he casually talked about gay porn with a man he was finding increasingly more attractive by the minute. Iruka conveniently left out the fact that while there was definitely hetero-romance, half of the book was male on male.

If he didn’t like it, well, then Iruka could let go of this absurd urge to ask him out. 

“I’ll give it a try, thanks,” the man said, as he turned to leave.

Iruka unabashedly watched him go, until the silver-haired stranger turned back around to say something. 

Iruka blinked wildly, averting his eyes. _Shit_. 

“I just moved here, so I don’t have a library card yet. Do you know where I could get help with that?”

“Of course. I can take care of it for you.” Iruka immediately volunteered. “Follow me.”

Ino was going to give him so much shit when he got to the desk, but he didn’t care.

—

How could Iruka do this as nonchalantly as possible? It was literally Ino’s _job_ to register people for library cards.

Ino took one look at Iruka, then the silver-haired stranger, and broke into a grin.

_Dammit_.

“Iruka! What can I do for you and this handsome gentleman?” she asked, as he circled around the counter to her desk.

“I was hoping you could go _water_ _the_ _plants_, they’re looking pretty _drab_, while I help this gentleman get his library card,” he said, widening his eyes a bit to try and convey his point.

“Really?” she asked sweetly, innocently. “Huh. That’s strange. Sakura already watered them this morning.”

Iruka tightened his ponytail out of habit. A sign of his budding impatience.

“Go feed the fish tank?” 

“Already done.”

Iruka refrained from grabbing the pencil behind his ear and whipping it at her. She was doing this on purpose to humiliate him. He heaved in a breath through his nose in irritation.

“Ok, I’ll leave you to it then—,”

“—but you know, I should probably boot up the computers in the lab,” she said, getting up from her chair.

Iruka held out an arm to mark her path as she walked past, in case she needed help going the fuck away, before sitting down and pulling up the correct program.

“Name?” Iruka asked, as his heart skipped in anticipation.

“Kakashi Hatake.”

Iruka’s fingers froze briefly after _Kakashi_, before he began to type again. Word had spread—as it often does in small town’s—that the Hatake estate had been occupied again, after nearly a decade of being vacant.

“Address?”

Kakashi gave it to him, and Iruka felt his breath shake on his next inhale. That was definitely the estate. He was no stranger to the area. Iruka frequently hiked in the woods surrounding the place—that stretch of forest was unique, in more ways than one. He had even poked around the large, rather gorgeous house a few times, but it was boarded up, and Iruka wasn’t enough of a snoop anymore to try and enter.

Iruka hit print, and rolled out his chair to stand in front of the machine. He popped the plastic card out of the sheet, still warm, and brought it back to the counter.

“Okay, Mr. Hata—,”

“Kakashi, please.”

“Kakashi,” Iruka smiled.

He reached for the orange book, scanned the bar code along with the new card, before handing them over.

“It’s due in two weeks.”

—

Kakashi couldn’t remember the last time he was so engrossed in a book, he didn’t sleep. He got in bed at 9, at some point had sat up against the head board, and by the time he looked up again, the sun had started to filter through the pines outside his window.

It was fantastic—terribly fantastic. Not to mention incredibly gay. It was everything Kakashi loved in a book. It straight up tickled his heart among… other places. He had to stop _twice_, to take care of said place.

He couldn’t help but wonder about the man who gave him something he so thoroughly enjoyed. It felt like a gift; able it a sexy, naughty, perverted gift. The kind Kakashi liked the most. 

_Iruka_, the blonde girl had called him.

Was it just a coincidence that half of the book was gay? Or was Iruka trying to convey something to him? If he was, it was a bold move, and Kakashi found that highly attractive. Not that Iruka needed any help there—he was undoubtedly attractive. The light scar that cut across his face only served to draw attention to his eyes, which were a unique sort of deep golden-brown, like the darkest honey straight from the comb.

Whatever the case, Kakashi was going back to the library today. The back sleeve of the book revealed that there were several more volumes to _Icha_ _Icha_.

He hoped a certain someone would be there to… check him out.

—

Sakura was slouched in her chair, twirling her pink hair around her finger with her feet in her girlfriend’s lap, as they both browsed their phones in silence. Friday mornings were always dull at the library.

“Hey, brats. You’re supposed to be changing out the bulletin board.”

“Mmm,” they replied in unison, eyes still fixed on their phones.

Tsunade stood up to lecture them, and possibly pull them to their feet, but paused when she saw a man walking towards the desk.

“Good morning, kid. How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for Iruka…”

“He’s not here,” she replied, gruffly.

Ino and Sakura snapped up their heads in unison, before they jumped out of their seats. Sakura hip checked Tsunade out of the way, to a barrage of muffled curses. 

“Iruka comes in at 10,” Ino said, leaning her elbows on the desk, her chin in her palms. “There’s some comfortable couches on the lower level, by all the plants, if you’d like to wait for him.”

“We have some crappy coffee over there”—Sakura pointed to a large dispenser—“If you need it.”

“Oh, thanks. Okay,” Kakashi said. “I’ll just…” He turned to walk away.

“Did you need to return that?” Ino called to him. “We can take it from you.”

Kakashi reluctantly handed the book over, as if that were his only ticket to Iruka. He heard both girls quietly giggle _Icha Icha_?! before heading to the coffee.

— 

“I brought the goods,” Iruka said, swooping behind the large desk to find his three co-workers slouched in their chairs, looking bored off their ass. They perked up as he handed them their drinks: green tea for Ino, white hot chocolate for Sakura, orange juice for Tsunade (which Iruka knew she’d spike momentarily), and a coffee for himself.

He took a sip of his coffee, only to find them all still staring at him when he lowered the cup.

“What?” he asked, but was met with silence.

He didn’t like this silence. It smelled like conspiracy. Sakura and Ino were hiding smiles behind their drinks.

“What?” he asked again, setting the bag of pastries on the counter.

“The Hatake kid came looking for you.”

“_What?!_” Iruka said, again.

“I hope you’ve got more words in your vocabulary than that Iruka, because you’re going to need them,” Tsunade said.

All three of them broke into laughter.

“What did he want?” Iruka asked, heart pounding, his eyes darting between the three of them.

“_You_, idiot,” Sakura laughed.

“Be nice, babe.” Ino said, smacking Sakura on the back of the head. “It’s not Iruka’s fault he’s pea-brained.”

“Oh my _god_.” Iruka groaned. _Why_. Sometimes working with two teenaged girls, and an old maid who _gossiped_ like a teenage girl, was too much for Iruka to handle. 

“_Relax_, Ru. Why don’t you go ask him what he wants? He’s only been on the couches in the plant cave for like, _two_ _hours_, waiting for you.”

Iruka gaped at them.

“Why didn’t one of you call me!” he said, walking quickly towards the stairs. He jogged down the steps and then slowed his pace, not wanting to appear overeager, before he turned the corner and found Kakashi…asleep?

On the table in front of him were the 6 remaining volumes of _Icha_ _Icha_, piled high. Iruka’s heart skipped a beat as he smiled to himself. He sat down on the couch beside Kakashi, nudging him gently with the toe of his shoe.

—

Kakashi awoke to a light touch against his shin. 

“Fuck off, Pakkun,” he grumbled, without opening his eyes, as he readjusted himself into a more comfortable position.

“Excuse me?” came an amused voice.

Kakashi froze, mentally assessing the situation.

He wasn’t at home. He… had come to the library. And that voice… that voice belonged to…

He opened his eyes.

_Iruka_.

“Shit, sorry. I thought…”

“It’s fine,” Iruka laughed, catching his eye. “I’ve definitely dosed off here before. Naps can fuck you up. I swear they bend time and space.”

Kakashi let out a light chuckle.

“Well, it’s your fault, really. I was up all night reading that book you gave me.”

Iruka graced him with the most beautiful blush he’d ever seen.

“You liked it, then?”

_Not_ _as_ _much_ _as_ _I_ _like_ _you_, Kakashi thought, but instead narrowed his eyes at the pile of books on the table.

Iruka laughed.

“You don’t have to check them all out at once, you know. They’re not going anywhere,” Iruka teased him.

“They might. I’m not taking any chances. Someone could take interest while I’m in the middle of the series, and there’s no way in hell I’m gonna wait. I’ll just keep renewing them until I’m done.”

“Smart plan. Judging by your pace, you’ll be done in a week.” 

“Have you read them all?” Kakashi ventured to ask.

“Yeah. More than once, actually,” Iruka admitted. “There’s just something about it. It’s like… _crack_. I don’t get it. It’s not even good, yet it is. What the fuck.”

They shared a laugh, the kind that only comes from mutual understanding.

“I literally did not sleep.”

“I’ve been there.”

“What time do you get off?” Kakashi asked, without skipping a beat, surprising both Iruka and himself entirely. But Iruka was just as quick.

“Why? Need someone to gush to?” 

“Yes. And I want that person to be you, specifically.”

Iruka blushed agan.

“6.00.”

“Do you like ramen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all have been so kind with your feedback on my previous work. Thank you *so* much. 
> 
> ( ‘́⌣’̀) I’ll be replying to your comments shortly!
> 
> I’m really excited to share this short story; I’ve become quite fond of it—what do you think?? 
> 
> I’ll be back with the next chapter tomorrow, which conveniently fills the prompt “meals”. Until then! ♡
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr](https://ladyxxdaydream.tumblr.com/)!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written to fill the prompt “meals” for KakaIru Week 2019. ♡

Iruka clicked the lighter for the fifth time in a row, about to give up in frustration, when the small flame finally appeared on the end of a sleek black wand. He dipped it into a large three wick candle, bringing it to life. He contemplated where to put it—Iruka was particular about lighting. He wanted the mood to read intimate yet not too romantic, so he opted not to place them on the dining table. Instead, he placed the large one on a shelf next to an aloe plant above his couch, and the other on a wooden cart in the kitchen that held all his cooking equipment. The cart was more aesthetically pleasing than practical. It made Iruka look like he was an accomplished cook, but really, he didn’t eat much outside of pasta, simple fish dishes, and anything he could wrap a tortilla around.

Which is exactly why Kakashi was cooking tonight. It was only their fourth date, and when Iruka had invited Kakashi over, he had every intention of ordering in, but Kakashi insisted on cooking. Iruka resisted at first, explaining that wasn’t _exactly_ how hosting worked, but Kakashi wasn’t having any of it. In compromise, Iruka offered to buy the ingredients needed, since Kakashi was putting in the work.

He walked over to the counter, surveying said ingredients, the ones that didn’t need to be refrigerated. He had to ask one of the supermarket employees what the hell polenta _was_, and where he could find it. He still didn’t know how you ate it; it appeared as pleasurable as a mouthful of sand. It looked like something you’d sprinkle onto the pavement for birds to peck at.

Iruka checked his watch. 6:53. Kakashi was almost 30 minutes late.

He distracted himself by polishing the mood. He turned off the overhead lights, and clicked on several others: the one above the stove, a standing lamp in the corner near his dining table, and another, smaller one, that sat on top of a side table pressed up against the wall in the sitting room, next to his record player. He put on Department of Eagles’s _In_ _Ear_ _Park_, when he heard a knock at the door.

Iruka nearly skipped to answer it, skidding to a halt in front of the mirror in his small hall. He fiddled with the sides of his black blazer, which hung open over a white, scoop neck tank, before fussing with his hair. It was pulled halfway back in a small bun, the rest of it falling in loose waves (from being tied up earlier in the day) that hit the top of his collarbones. He opted for his glasses, instead of his usual contacts, pushing a pair of round, tortoise shell frames up his nose.

“Sorry I’m late,” Kakashi said, when Iruka opened the door. “I spent way too much time staring at the wine before some guy took pity on me and suggested one. It’s completely his fault if you don’t like it.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Iruka laughed, stepping aside to let Kakashi in. “I don’t know enough about wine to be picky.”

Kakashi eyed him as he slipped past.

“You look good,” Kakashi said, handing Iruka the wine so he could take off his coat. 

“Hm, you too,” Iruka replied, upon seeing what he was wearing—a simple black and white horizontally striped long sleeve shirt, french tucked into black jeans, revealing a black leather belt.

Iruka’s arm cut through the heat between them as he reached for Kakashi’s coat and hung it up. They had yet to get physical, hadn’t even kissed. All three of their prior dates had been in public, and they parted ways at the end. Iruka was hoping to change all that tonight. Just because they were in their 30’s, didn’t mean they had to move fucking _slow_.

“So, I found everything on the list you gave me,” Iruka said, crossing over to the fridge to remove the chicken and a jar of olives. “Where do you want to start?”

“With the wine,” Kakashi said. “You got a bottle opener?”

“Yes, somewhere…” Iruka said, spinning on his heel towards the wooden cart.

God, he felt so damn _giddy_ with energy.

He rummaged in a drawer for the corkscrew, handing it off to Kakashi when he found it. On his way to grab two glasses, he felt a hand close lightly around his wrist. He looked down at the contact, before looking up at Kakashi, who was staring at his face.

“Have you always had your septum pierced?”

“Oh,” Iruka’s other hand went absently to his nose, to the thin dark metal that flanked his septum, instead of the more popular hoop. “Yeah, for a few years now. I have to flip it up for work though. Sometimes I forget to bring it back out. You like it?” Iruka asked with a smirk.

“_Hm_,” was the only response he got, as Kakashi let go of his wrist.

He took that as a yes.

—

Iruka leaned back against the counter, cupping his wine glass in his hand, watching Kakashi prep the chicken with a dish towel draped over his shoulder. It shouldn’t be erotic, watching someone dismember a chicken, but somehow it was. Iruka shifted his stance, trying to relieve some of the tension from his body, trying to look anywhere except at those deft fingers…

Kakashi dredged the pieces in a light coating of flour, before dropping them in a pan preheated with olive oil.

“You’re going to make the polenta,” Kakashi said, snapping Iruka out of his thoughts, as he rinsed his hands off in the sink.

“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You’re right, it’s a _great_ idea. If you thought you were just gonna sit pretty over there, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Kakashi, I really—you don’t understand,” Iruka stammered, blushing at the compliment. “Seriously. If there’s a way to ruin it, I will.”

“I doubt it. It’s easy. I’ll teach you. Start by putting 6 cups of water into a large pot.”

Iruka put down his wine and moved to get a pot from the cart.

“I don’t have a measuring cup.”

“You…what?”

Iruka scratched at the scar along his cheek nervously.

“If I’m cooking rice, I just use a coffee mug or something,” he said, scrunching up his face in an embarrassed wince. Kakashi found it painfully adorable.

“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” Kakashi said, pushing the sleeves of his shirt back from his wrists.

“And why’s that?” Iruka asked.

“Because it’s distracting me from your incompetence.”

“_Hey_. I’ll have you know it’s a fail-proof method.”

“Mhm. Sure.”

“It is! I get perfect rice, every time,” Iruka explained, unable to stop his smile.

“Then prove it,” Kakashi said, whipping the dish towel flirtatiously at him. “6 _mugs_ of water to one _mug_ of polenta. But bring the water to a boil first,” Kakashi amended, when he saw Iruka grabbing for the container of polenta. “Incase that wasn’t obvious.”

“…It wasn’t,” Iruka said, a laugh tumbling out of him. Honestly, he would have added them at the same time if Kakashi hadn’t said anything. 

Kakashi shook his head as he laughed, removing the browned chicken with a fork, before sliding in the peppers, onions, and garlic off the cutting board and into the pan. “When you’re finished, I need half a mug of olives.”

Iruka rolled his eyes playfully as he passed by him from the sink.

“I’m never going to live that down, am I?”

“Nope,” Kakashi said, elongating the word, popping the _p_ with his mouth. “You’ll be getting measuring cups as a stocking stuffer. Act surprised when you see it.”

Iruka’s heart all but stopped in his chest. Christmas was over a month away. The implication that they’d spend it together rolled off Kakashi’s tongue so easily, as if they hadn’t only met two weeks ago. The crazy thing was, it didn’t _feel_ like they’d met two weeks ago. Iruka had never been so comfortable around somebody so fast. Thankfully their first date had been at a 24-hour ramen joint, because they had talked well into the night.

After putting the pot on the stove, Iruka tipped the olive jar over the mug, only to be rewarded with liquid and no olives.

“Pour that back,” Kakashi laughed. “And use a spoon.”

Iruka resisted the urge to throw something at his smug ass (beautiful) face.

While Iruka fished for olives, Kakashi dumped a can of tomatoes into the pan, along with some dry white wine, and cartoned chicken broth.

“Add the olives.”

Iruka did, while Kakashi situated the chicken back into the pan, covering it with a lid.

“Alright. That’ll simmer for about 20 minutes.”

Kakashi turned his attention to the pot of near boiling water, before fixing his gaze on Iruka.

“The thing with polenta is, you have to stir it constantly for about 10 minutes.”

“What… the fuck is polenta?” Iruka laughed, not caring anymore if he sounded like an idiot.

“It’s just a fancy word for cornmeal,” Kakashi smiled. “Polenta is Italian. This whole dish is Italian actually—chicken cacciatore.”

“Are you Italian?”

“No. But our cook was. I learned a lot from her.”

“Your cook…?” Iruka prodded.

Despite feeling like he’d known Kakashi forever, he really didn’t know him at all. It was thrilling, in a way. It wasn’t often new faces came to town. And when they did, the gossip chain worked to unravel them faster than you’d believe. Kakashi was proving to be an exception.

“My family was well-off,” Kakashi said, a bit uncomfortably. Not that it was any surprise to Iruka. Everyone knew the Hatake’s were rich as hell.

“Must have been nice,” Iruka mused.

“Not as nice as you might think,” Kakashi alluded, a sadness in his eyes.

Iruka was grateful the water had started to boil, because it snapped Kakashi out of wherever he had gone.

“Add two generous pinches of salt along with the cornmeal, and start stirring.”

Iruka did. After about five minutes, it thickened considerably.

“Wait, this is getting hard to stir. Is it suppose to…?” Iruka asked, struggling with the whisk.

“Yep,” Kakashi said, taking a sip of his wine, before he leaned towards him in examination. “Are you breaking a sweat, Iruka?”

“It’s hot over this pot!” Iruka said in his defense. He _was_ sweating though. He could feel it beading on his forehead. “Could you help me out of my blazer?”

He hadn’t thought much of it when he asked, but now that Kakashi’s hands were sliding in over his shoulders, he really _should_ have thought about it.

Kakashi guided Iruka’s left arm out first, before the tips of his fingers traced the top of Iruka’s back—the bastard was purposely being sensual about it—as he came to release Iruka’s other arm. Iruka’s hand faltered, as he turned to find his face inches from Kakashi’s. Iruka subconsciously licked his lips, as his eyes dropped to Kakashi’s own.

“Iruka?”

“Yes?” he replied, a little breathlessly, as Kakashi helped him remove his other arm from the blazer.

This is it. _Finally_. Iruka steeled himself for the kiss.

“Don’t forget to keep whisking,” Kakashi said, before leaving to drape his blazer over the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

“Asshole,” Iruka laughed, as he exhaled, unaware he’d been holding his breath.

Kakashi returned to his place next to Iruka in front of the stove, idly sipping his wine.

“Ah, much better. Now I can watch your biceps work.”

“Fuck you,” Iruka laughed.

“That can be arranged.”

Iruka had never shut up so quick in his life, or blushed as hard.

“Where are the plates?” Kakashi asked, as if nothing scandalous had just happened. “That’s done. Turn off the heat and stir in the butter.”

“Above the sink,” Iruka said, swallowing hard, ignoring the way his skin had prickled all over.

“Pour some on each plate. I’ll top it with the chicken.”

They worked together, their arms brushing each other in the process, a ripple of electricity coursing through Iruka at the contact.

“Did you get parsley?” Kakashi asked.

“Ah. Yeah, it’s in the fridge.”

Iruka went to go get it, holding it out to Kakashi on his return. Kakashi looked down at it, and then up at Iruka, biting his lip.

“What?” Iruka asked, confused, feeling a little self conscious.

“That’s cilantro, sweetheart.”

“Oh my _god_,” Iruka blushed. “They weren’t labeled and I just… I thought I knew… I should have asked. I’m so embarrassed.” Iruka said, taking his glasses off to rub at his face for a moment, as if that would erase the color from his cheeks.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kakashi laughed.

Iruka groaned, still hiding his face.

“Seriously,” Kakashi said, touching his elbow in comfort. “It’s not a big deal. It’ll still be good without it.”

“You were right. I’m totally incompetent in the kitchen,” Iruka sighed, putting his glasses back on.

“Hey. I was joking when I said that. That was me flirting, badly. You don’t get to say that about yourself.”

Well, fuck if Kakashi didn’t know the right thing to say at the right time. Iruka gave him a warm smile.

“I like the glasses, by the way. Very fitting, considering your profession.”

Iruka rolled his eyes, his embarrassment leaving, as he placed the pot back on the stove with a clack.

“_Ha_, _ha_. Do you have a librarian kink?”

“I didn’t. But then you came along and fulfilled it beautifully.”

“Already?”

“The minute you handed me gay erotica.”

Iruka’s laughter filled the small kitchen.

“That was a gamble.”

“I know. And I find it incredibly hot that you took it.”

Iruka met his eyes, and they held each other’s gaze for a moment.

Okay. Iruka couldn’t take any more of Kakashi’s aggressive flirting without responding accordingly.

“I’m going to kiss you now,” Iruka said.

“Thank god.”

Instead of crashing their mouths together, Iruka walked into to his space slowly, and leaned in even slower, before gently placing his lips on Kakashi’s. They held there for a moment, before Iruka increased the pressure, and Kakashi’s mouth opened. Their lips moved together in a series of kisses, keeping their tongues to themselves, until the tip of Kakashi’s nudged at his lip and that’s all the invitation Iruka needed. He flicked his own out to meet him, and Kakashi brought a hand to the back of Iruka’s head, deepening the kiss. Iruka placed a hand against Kakashi’s chest, mostly to keep a small distance between their bodies, fighting the temptation to rub against him. But then Kakashi tugged on his lip with his teeth, and Iruka’s hand closed to fist the fabric beneath it. _Shit_.

Iruka pulled away, releasing his hold.

“We should…” he licked his lips, unable to move his eyes from Kakashi’s mouth just yet. “… eat before it gets cold,” he finished, moving his gaze up, which wasn’t any safer because Kakashi’s look was heated. It sparked a fire in his groin, rousing a different sort of hunger.

“Good idea,” Kakashi agreed, getting up from his lean against the counter to grab both plates.

He followed Iruka to the table, placing Iruka’s meal down first, before coming to his own seat.

They ate their first few bites in silence, which is ultimately what led both of them to hear the resounding crack between their respective teeth.

Kakashi started to laugh, as he pulled something out of his mouth.

“Do these olives have pits?” Kakashi asked.

“Olives have pits?”

“…Yes. Olives have pits, Iruka. You have to buy them already pitted. What did you think filled the hole?”

Kakashi regretted it the minute it left his mouth.

“Don’t answer that.” Kakashi added, pointing his fork at him, fighting off a grin.

“I mean, I don’t know!” Iruka laughed. “I’ve only ever eaten olives on pizza. And they were sliced. And tasteless.”

“We really need to expand your culinary horizons,” Kakashi said.

Iruka bit back the suggestion that Kakashi could _expand_ him anyway he liked, but he wanted to make it through dinner, because it was really fucking good.

“You’re probably right,” Iruka said, instead. “This is delicious, Kakashi. Thank you.”

Just as Iruka was about to bring another forkful to his mouth, there was a knock on the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was sort of pathetic Iruka, lmaoooo. 
> 
> He’s lucky he’s cute, right? 
> 
> ｡ﾟ( ﾟ^∀^ﾟ)ﾟ｡


	3. Chapter 3

“Excuse me,” Iruka said, clattering his fork onto his plate.

He crossed to the door and swung it open.

“Iruka, thank _god_,” Kushina said, bracing her hand against the doorframe to slip a pair of black flats over her stockinged feet. “I got called in for a night shift, and Minato won’t be home for another hour. Do ya think you could keep an eye on Naruto for me? He’s still down with a fever. But sometimes he wakes up and vomits or has the shits—_oh_, something smells so good, you got any leftovers? Since when do you cook?” she asked, shoving past him.

She had her fingers dunked in the pan before she noticed Kakashi sitting at the table.

“Hi!” she said, after she shoved a chunk of chicken in her mouth, tomato juice escaping down her chin as she waved.

“Hello,” Kakashi responded, amused.

Kushina spun on her heel, her long red hair twirling in her wake. She grabbed Iruka by the hand and pulled him back towards the door.

“You have company, shit. _Attractive_ company. Nice going,” she said, nudging him with her elbow while simultaneously giving him an exaggerated wink. “But oh, geez, do you think you could still watch over Naruto? Could ya? Please? I’m afraid to leave him alone, you know how he is. He gets all,”—she pulled a ridiculous face—“you know? Plus he really doesn’t look too good and hospital bills are so expensive I know it’s not life threatening it’s probably food poisoning I have some medici—,”

“Kushina,” Iruka interjected, used to her rambling on like a runaway train. “It’s fine. I’d be happy to look after him.” As much as Iruka didn’t want to end his date, Naruto was like a younger brother to him, and his concern for the boy trumped his desire to get laid, no matter how… strong it was. “Just give me a few minutes.”

“You’re the best!” she squealed, giving his forearm a squeeze.

“BYE!” Kushina yelled over his shoulder. “Nice to meet you! Even though we didn’t really meet! Iruka’s a catch, you better not hurt him or _I’ll_ _fucking_ _come_ _after_ _your_ _goddamn_ _ass_—,” Iruka pushed her out of the door and shut it.

When he made it back to the table, Kakashi raised his eyebrows at him in question.

“Eh, that’s Kushina,” he laughed, nervously. “She lives down the hall with her family. I—I’m sorry, but she needs someone to look after her son for an hour. He’s not feeling well. I can, um, pack up your dinner? And we can try another time?”

Kakashi studied him for a moment.

“What if I come with you? If it’s right down the hall, we can just transport our plates?”

“Are you sure?” Iruka asked, with wide eyes. A look of pure astonishment washing over his face.

“Why not?” Kakashi shrugged. As _if_ he could say no to the softness before him. “I don’t want our date to end. I don’t think you do either.”

Iruka wouldn’t have been able to stop the grin from creeping over his face even if he tried.

They picked up their plates and scuttled down the hall in their socks, to find Kushina’s door wide open.

—

Iruka walked in to find Kushina holding her hair in a tight bun on top of her head.

“Do ya see my clip on the table?” she asked, without looking up, rummaging through her purse with her free hand.

Iruka didn’t know how he’d be able to find _anything_ on that table, but he’d try anyway. He handed his plate to Kakashi, before he picked up and moved around random things in his search.

“Um, no. I don’t see it,” he said, turning to her.

He watched as Kushina grabbed a pair of chopsticks off the kitchen counter, giving them a tentative whiff. She shrugged to herself, before proceeding to stick them in her hair, holding it in place.

“_Pfftt_” she sputtered into a laugh, noticing Kakashi standing rather awkwardly with their dinner. “Make yourself at home, hon. You can just,”— she shoved all the shit on the table to one side, causing some of it to tumble onto the floor— “sorry, it’s a mess, but I’ve really gotta run.”

She swooped over to kiss Iruka hard on the cheek, causing his glasses to go askew.

“Thanks Ru, we owe you one,” she said, before disappearing out the door, not bothering to shut it behind her.

“She’s… eccentric,” Kakashi said, placing their plates on the table.

“You have no idea,” Iruka said, shutting the door, before coming to sit. 

“This is…” Kakashi trailed off, looking around the kitchen. The fridge was covered with so many photographs, drawings, and weird magnets, you couldn’t see an inch of the appliance beneath it. Pots and pans hung haphazardly from the ceiling, and the counter was littered with more snacks than a convenience store.

“Cluttered?”

“No. Well… _yeah_,” Kakashi laughed. “But not in a bad way.”

They both settled into their seats and started to eat.

“You seem close,” Kakashi said, curious about their connection.

“We are. We’ve been living down the hall from each other for almost 10 years now.”

“That’s a long time.”

“Mm,” Iruka agreed as chewed. “They invited me over for dinner one night, after I had a disaster.”

“Go on.” Kakashi encouraged, amused.

Iruka was hesitant to say, only because he could already see the shit-eating grin on Kakashi’s face in response.

“I… may have set off the fire alarm in the complex.”

“Why does that not surprise me?” Kakashi smirked. There it was. “How’d you manage to do that?”

Iruka bit his lip.

“I used wax paper in the oven instead of parchment. It lit on fire.”

Kakashi leaned back in his seat as he covered his mouth, not wanting to spit out the food he was laughing around.

“Oh my god,” he said, after no longer being in danger of choking. “You’re somethin’ else, Iruka.”

“It was really dumb. I have to admit,” Iruka laughed, despite himself. “But I was 20. And clueless in the kitchen.”

“More than you are now? Impossible.”

“Shut up,” Iruka laughed. “I’m not _that_ bad. I’ve managed to survive so far.”

“_So_ _far_, “ Kakashi teased, before taking another bite.

When they were finished eating, Kakashi gathered up their plates and took them to the sink to wash. He stopped in front of the fridge on his way back, something having caught his eye. It made his chest fill with an unexpected warmth.

“Is that you?” Kakashi asked, pointing at a polaroid, amused. Someone that looked like a younger version of Iruka was asleep on the couch on his stomach—an arm draped over the edge—with their face smashed against the cushion. On top of Iruka’s back was a small, blonde-headed boy, asleep in the same position.

Iruka got up to stand beside him, removing the magnet to take the photograph in his hand.

“Yeah,” he laughed. “That’s Naruto,” Iruka said after a quick glance at the rest of the apartment. “I should go check on him. Make yourself comfortable.”

—

When Iruka came back, he found Kakashi on the couch.

“Naruto’s asleep,” Iruka said, placing a football helmet onto the floor, so he could drop in beside him. “We probably don’t have enough time to watch a movie but we could browse Netflix for something. There’s new episodes to Icha Icha,” Iruka said, poking at Kakashi with his foot. Much to Kakashi’s delight, the book series had been turned into a Netflix original.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kakashi admitted. Watching steamy scenes next to Iruka in a home that wasn’t either of theirs would be a _little_ agonizing. He didn’t know if he’d be able to keep his hands to himself, especially after that kiss they shared earlier.

Iruka looked confused for a second, before it dawned on him, causing him to blush.

“Oh. Yeah, maybe not.”

“We could help with that puzzle,” Kakashi said, eyeing the half put together thing on the coffee table in front of them. “Puzzles are boring. Completely unsexy.”

“_What?_ I love puzzles,” Iruka laughed. “I find them stimulating.”

“Oh?” Kakashi teased, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Pervert. That’s not what I meant,” Iruka said, smacking Kakashi with a throw pillow. He slid off the couch and onto his knees, already picking at the pieces.

Kakashi’s eyes landed on Iruka’s broad shoulders. On the exposed skin of his back. Iruka hadn’t put his blazer back on, and the tank top he was wearing dipped far enough to reveal the first few vertebrate of his spine. Kakashi imagined running his tongue up along the ridges, before nuzzling his nose into his hair, breathing against his ear…

…shit. He was starting to get hot.

Puzzle, he reminded himself. Boring. Unsexy.

He got up from the couch to sit across from Iruka on the floor, who was currently nibbling on his lip in concentration, as he rifled through the pieces. Kakashi had a view of his prominent collarbones now, instead of his spine, which really were just _asking_ for Kakashi’s teeth to drag across them.

Fucking hell. Was nowhere safe?

“Ha!” Iruka exclaimed, completely oblivious to Kakashi’s leering, as he pushed a piece into place. “Found one.”

Iruka looked up at him with bright eyes, delight clearly etched into his face. And that’s when Kakashi realized he was a fucking goner.

“You’re a nerd, you know that?” Kakashi said, shifting his attention to the pile of loose pieces. Yeah. Good Plan. Poke fun at him instead of confessing.

“Um, duh?” Iruka said. “But if you think you’re not, you better reassess yourself. Hate to break it to you, Kakashi. You’re not as cool as people think you are.”

Kakashi laughed as Iruka gave him a wide smile. He’d been called many things over the course of his life, but nerd wasn’t one of them. Yet it was probably a lot closer to the truth than most of the others.

“God, who would have thought there were so many shades of green,” Kakashi said, resigning himself. He glanced at the picture on the box—a swampy marshland with large toads on lillypads.

“Moooom,” came a groan from down the hall. When it wasn’t immediately answered, it turned into a sharp shout. “MOM!”

“I’ll be right back,” Iruka said, hopping up off the floor.

“I’ll be here. Trying not to fall asleep.”

Iruka snorted, before leaving the room.

Now that he was alone, Kakashi let his gaze wander. It was cluttered, yes, but in a way that screamed _home_. It was stockpiled with things that were warm and inviting. The whole place practically vibrated with love. Kakashi couldn’t help but think that Naruto was incredibly lucky. And maybe, just maybe, he was a little envious.

“Kakashi.”

Iruka’s voice floated through his thoughts. He got up to follow it.

Kakashi was completely unprepared for the sight that awaited him. His heart leapt so far up his throat, he almost choked. Iruka was leaning against the wall behind the bed, with a teenaged boy’s head in his lap, rubbing circles against his back. His brow was knitted in concern; so much love was emanating out of him, Kakashi felt like he could reach out and touch it.

Iruka had never looked more beautiful to him than he did right now.

“Can you bring a glass of water? And a box of kleenex from the bathroom? Naruto just threw up.”

Kakashi flicked his eyes to the soup pot lined with a plastic bag on the floor.

_Eugh_.

The boy named Naruto squinted at him. For being so sick, it was a wonder he still had the energy to look scrutinizing. Kakashi felt suddenly self-conscious under his unusually blue gaze, as the boy’s hold shifted a little tighter around Iruka’s torso.

“Uh, sure,” Kakashi said, making a quick exit. He’d already questioned whether or not he was good enough for Iruka, but seeing it written across someone else’s face, was another thing entirely.

—

“I’m surprised Sasuke isn’t here,” Iruka commented, as he lazily raked his fingers through Naruto’s hair.

“Tch. I’m not. He’s a prissy bitch when it comes to germs.”

“Hey, language.” Iruka softly reprimanded, though his expression remained fond.

“Food poisoning isn’t even _contagious_. That bastard. I probably got it from the steak burrito he bought me yesterday. And now he’s leaving me _alone_ to _suffer_,” Naruto moaned.

“You left it in my car the whole day, Naruto. And then proceeded to eat it.”

“So? It smelled fine.”

“It smelled _sour_.”

“Yeah,” the blonde laughed. “It kinda did.”

He rolled off Iruka’s lap to lay on his back.

“Anyway. Who’s your beau?” Naruto asked, poking him in the knee.

“My—“ Iruka stammered, blushing. “He’s not—we’re—we just started seeing each other.”

“Fffff,” Naruto huffed.“_Okay_. You got it bad ‘Ruka. And no you didn’t, you liar. This has gotta be like… your fourth date or somethin’ now.”

“_What?_ How could you possibly know that?” Iruka asked, completely baffled.

“Ino started a group chat about it. She made it the first day you guys met.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Iruka nearly shouted.

“Hey, _language_.”

Iruka hopped out of bed and snatched Naruto’s phone off the nightstand.

“No, don’t!” Naruto said, reaching out to him, but Iruka smacked him away. “_Ow_. Be nice to me. I’m an _invalid_.”

But Iruka wasn’t paying attention because he was furiously typing out a message to the group chat.

_I’M_ _GOING_ _TO_ _MURDER_ _ALL_ _OF_ _YOU_ :) :) :) :) :) _xoxo_ _Iruka_.

Kakashi walked in just as the message sent.

“Uh, everything okay in here?” he asked, feeling some sort of tension.

“Fine,” Iruka smiled, much too forcefully, taking the kleenex and water from him. He resisted the urge to dump it on Naruto’s face. God, this was so embarrassing. Why did everyone have to meddle in _everything?_

“I’m just gonna… wait out here…” Kakashi started, only to be interrupted.

“Hello??” came a voice, followed by the sound of the front door clicking shut. “Naruto, Iruka?”

“In here, Dad! Iruka’s being a jerk! Save me, pleeeeaasse.”

An older man with the same blonde hair appeared in the doorway.

“I highly doubt that,” he chuckled. “And if he is, I’m sure you deserved it.”

“Rude. Betrayed by my own blood,” Naruto replied dramatically.

“Hi,” the man stuck his hand out to Kakashi. “I’m Minato. Naruto’s father.”

“Kakashi,” he said, completing the shake. Something about this man seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. Whatever it was, it had him feeling slightly unbalanced.

“Well, I’m sure you two have better things to do than look after my spoiled son.”

Naruto let out a raucous laugh.

“Dad, you just—do you even _realize_ what that soun—,” but Iruka cut in.

“It was no problem. Anytime. We should get going…” He cast a look in Kakashi’s direction, hoping he’d get the hint and hurry out of here before Naruto embarrassed the hell out of him.

“Of course. I’ll walk you out.”

—

“You’re welcome back anytime,” Minato said, smiling at Kakashi, as they reached the door. And there it was. Hitting Kakashi like a ton of bricks. Something about the man’s expressions reminded Kakashi starkly of his own father, even though Minato couldn’t be any more than 10 years older than himself.

Pain pierced his heart.

“…Kakashi?” Iruka called.

He thought Kakashi looked a little overwhelmed. Maybe this was too much, too soon. After all, this was basically the equivalent to meeting Iruka’s own family, and they weren’t even officially dating yet. Or were they?

“Hm?” Kakashi hummed after a moment. He looked up to find Iruka staring at him with concern.

Shit. He must have spaced out.

“Uh. Oh, thank you, I’d—I’d like that,” Kakashi said, feeling himself blush. He gave Minato a small smile. “It was nice to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO! New character tags!!! 
> 
> •́ ‿ ,•̀


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone needs a warning, the first half of this chapter contains smut 
> 
> (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)

When Iruka opened the door to his apartment, he was hit with how _good_ it smelled. It reminded him of the forest at dawn after a rain, mixed with eucalyptus and…

“_Shit!_ We left the candles on,” Iruka cried, hurrying into the room. After he blew out the first one, he realized it wasn’t necessary to extinguish them now that they were back.

Kakashi gave him an amused look, as the candle smoked in Iruka’s hand.

“Don’t say it.”

“Say what?” Kakashi asked, feigning innocence. “I was just thinking about how fortunate it was that you don’t have a cat.”

“Sure you were.”

Iruka put the candle back on the kitchen cart, before nervously resting his hands near his hips. He knew the time had come to make a decision—either Kakashi would leave for the night, or he would stay. Iruka definitely wanted him to stay, but he didn’t know if babysitting a teenaged boy, however short it was, had ruined the mood; Kakashi had looked a little overwhelmed, only minutes ago. Regardless, Iruka had to say _something_, because this silence was driving him a little insane. He removed his glasses and folded them on the counter.

“Well—,”

“—_Iruka_,” Kakashi said, low and seductive and utterly fucking inviting.

“Yeah, okay,” Iruka said in surrender, before crashing his lips into Kakashi, the decision swiftly made. Iruka grabbed Kakashi by the shirt and walked backwards, pulling him towards the bedroom, without breaking the kiss.

Once inside his room, Iruka fumbled to close the door, pinning Kakashi against it by pressing their bodies flush together. Iruka slid his thigh between Kakashi’s, while pulling at his bottom lip with his teeth. He flicked his eyes up to meet Kakashi’s as he let go, but Kakashi’s mouth was back on him in a second; a persistent tongue pushing past his lips. Kakashi’s hands found their way to his ass, and gave a hard squeeze.

“_Ah_,” Iruka gasped at the grope. Kakashi used that opening to twirl his tongue around Iruka’s, before he caught it with his lips, sucking Iruka’s tongue into his mouth. Iruka’s desire skyrocketed at the sensation, causing him to dig his fingers into Kakashi’s hips. He slid his hands beneath the fabric of Kakashi’s shirt, before he ripped it over his head, tossing it to the floor. Kakashi dipped down and lifted him up. Iruka immediately wrapped his legs around his waist.

Kakashi put him down on the edge of the bed, breaking the kiss to remove Iruka’s shirt.

And then…

Kakashi fell to his knees in worship.

His eyes didn’t know what to devour first. The thick black tattooed lines that curved over Iruka’s hips and dipped into his pants, or the small silver bars pierced through Iruka’s nipples. The sight made him grow so painfully hard, he was afraid he’d come in his pants at the slightest bit of friction. He dug his fingers into Iruka’s thighs as he looked away.

“Kakashi,” Iruka smiled, running a hand through his silver hair. “Are you alright?”

“I…I’m so fucking attracted to you Iruka,” he said, his chest aching. “I can’t even… _fuck_. This is—”

Kakashi leaned forward and took one of Iruka’s nipples in his mouth, running his tongue over the cool metal. It clacked against his teeth as Iruka let out a soft, breathy moan, sending a shiver of pleasure down Kakashi's spine. He let go of his nipple, curling his tongue to give it a slow lick, before pressing kisses down his chest and over his soft stomach.

Kakashi felt a little feral, as his mouth started to water.

“Iruka, I-I want…” Kakashi curled a hand around Iruka’s belt as he mouthed his cock through his pants, letting Iruka know _exactly_ what he wanted to do. “Can I…?”

“God, _yes_.”

Kakashi stripped Iruka out of his jeans in a flash, before dropping to his knees again. He licked over a line of Iruka’s tattoo that led straight to his cock before flattening his tongue and dragging it up his length.

“_Mm_,” Iruka moaned, as he rested his weight back on his palms, watching Kakashi work. Kakashi pushed Iruka’s thighs open a little wider, the only warning Iruka got, before Kakashi wrapped a hand around the base of his cock and took the rest of him in his mouth.

“_Shit_,” Iruka said, his head falling back as he involuntary arched off the bed.

Kakashi held him down by the hip with his other hand, before taking him as far back as he could, and coming up again. He slid Iruka in and out of his mouth like this, stopping every few takes to swirl his tongue around the head, or give it a harsh suck.

When Iruka’s breath became ragged and his body started to shake, Kakashi moved his hand from his hip, to knead at his thigh.

Iruka’s hands shot to Kakashi’s shoulders then, gripping tight. His hips snapped up as he came with a shout, and Kakashi swallowed down his pleasure with a deep satisfied groan.

Kakashi barely had enough time to pull in a breath before Iruka’a mouth had found his. Iruka got up from the bed, pulling Kakashi to his feet. Iruka turned him around, pressing kisses into his shoulder blades, as he unbuckled Kakashi’s belt from behind and tugged his pants down to his feet.

“Iruka, I’m..” Kakashi paused, closing his eyes in pleasure, as Iruka licked up the shell of his ear. “…really close.”

He turned around to face Iruka.

“Your orgasm almost pushed me over the edge, without a single touch to my cock. Do you know how rare that is? This—you—”

Kakashi cupped Iruka’s face, pushing a stray hair away from his eyes.

“_Fuck_,” Iruka breathed.

“Yeah, _fuck_,” Kakashi agreed, before pulling him into a hard kiss.

Iruka fell into the bed, crawling backwards until he sat upright against the headboard, reaching into the drawer next to his bed. “Come here,” Iruka beckoned. “Give me your back.”

Iruka knew he was asking for an intimate position. Much more intimate than a ‘first time’ usually entailed. But Kakashi settled himself between Iruka’s legs without hesitation, resting his back against his chest, his head falling against Iruka’s shoulder. Iruka dragged his hands up Kakashi’s thighs, ghosting over his erection, before traveling over his chest and arms.

“God you feel so good,” Iruka said into his ear, tugging at the lobe with his teeth, before lavishing it with his tongue.

“Iruka,” Kakashi pleaded, bending his legs to press his heels into the mattress, begging to be touched. Iruka kept roving his hands lightly over Kakashi’s body, skirting around his cock every time. It was driving him absolutely mad with want. “_Please_.”

Iruka uncapped the lube, squirt a generous portion into his hand, and slicked up Kakashi’s cock as he enclosed his hand around him and started to pump.

“_Mmpfh_,” Kakashi breathed with relief. He turned his head to huff against Iruka’s neck, already seconds away from his release. Kakashi smoothed his hands up and down Iruka’s muscular thighs, stopping to clutch the spot above Iruka’s knees, when his body started to tense.

Iruka’s free hand pinched and pulled at Kakashi’s nipple, before it came to encircle his jaw, tilting his chin up to connect them in a kiss. Iruka’s tongue hitting Kakashi's was all it took. Kakashi parted his lips and let out a long, low moan against Iruka’s mouth as he came.

“_Yes_,” Iruka breathed into his cheek, tightening his hold on Kakashi’s jaw, while he rode out his remaining waves.

Kakashi fell limp against Iruka when it was over. He could feel Iruka’s heart beating against his shoulder—as hard and quick as his own—a stark reminder of the living, breathing, human beneath him.

Kakashi brought his hand over Iruka’s and intertwined their fingers.

“I want you.” Kakashi said, suddenly.

“Again?” Iruka laughed, peering over his shoulder. “Looks like you haven’t recovered yet.”

Iruka reached into the drawer next to the bed and pulled out a packet of wipes.

“I’d get you a washcloth but I think all my bones have disintegrated.”

Kakashi laughed, wiping himself off, before sitting up and turning in Iruka’s arms.

“I meant I want to… see you. Only you. And I want you to only see me?”

“Wow, that’s a really round about way of asking me to be your boyfriend.”

“That…would have been easier and more direct, yeah,” Kakashi said, embarrassed.

“You’re not a polyamorous kinda guy, huh?” Iruka nudged him. “It’s all the rage with the gays these days.”

Kakashi gave him a weak glare.

“Definitely not.”

“Good. Because I’m not either.”

Kakashi’s gaze dropped to Iruka’s hips, back to the tattoo. He traced a finger a long it.

“Can I see where this goes?”

Iruka scoot out from behind him and sat on the edge of the bed, placing his feet on the floor. Kakashi sucked in a breath as he saw the head of a big cat in the same simple bold black that made up the rest of it. It’s mouth was open in a growl, tattooed into the small of his back. Black jagged lines fanned out from the center, like thick bolts of lightening, before disappearing around his hips. It was _gorgeous_.

“My mom used to call me ‘_little_ _yaguara_’, little jaguar, when I was a kid,” Iruka said, his voice coming out hoarse. “I had bad asthma when I was young, so I’d tire easily. I’d hide up in trees and pounce down in surprise, instead of chasing other kids around. I also had this knack for seeing the truth in people. I still can. I thought it was normal but….” Iruka gave a small shrug. “My mom used to tell me stories about black jaguar’s; how their yellow-green gaze was closely linked with seers and prophets in her culture.”

Iruka paused to sigh, staring down at his hands.

“Both of my parents were indigenous. My mom’s ancestry is rooted in Central and South America, whereas my Dad was Chinook. He grew up in a tribal community not far from here. I was born there, too.”

Kakashi noted the past tense. They were no longer alive, just like his own parents. An ache radiated through his chest. He lightly grazed his fingers across the tattoo, to show that he was listening. He wanted to reach for the large scar in the middle of Iruka’s back, but decided that Iruka had revealed enough to him already. That question could wait for another day.

Iruka craned his neck around to offer Kakashi a small smile.

“They died when I was twelve. I was left in the care of family friends, who were white. I still don’t understand why I wasn’t given to a relative. Not that I’m ungrateful, it just… distanced me from my culture a lot. I barely know anything about it. Sometimes it rings hollow when I say I’m Native. The government won’t let me forget it, though,” Iruka said, his voice gone bitter at the end.

“Anyway,” Iruka said, shaking it off, before collapsing his back into the mattress with a _thump_, gracing Kakashi with a quick, artificial breeze. “Do you want to spend the night?”

Kakashi stretched out on his stomach, resting his head on top of his arms, as he looked into Iruka’s eyes. There was so much he wanted to say, about what Iruka had just revealed, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“I’d love to, but I hadn’t planned on it. I need to go home and take care of my dogs.”

“You weren’t anticipating getting laid?!” Iruka asked, surprised, turning onto his side to look at him better. “Man, I feel like a sleaze.”

“Oh, I definitely thought about it,” Kakashi laughed. “But even if it did happen, I didn’t expect to be asked to stay.”

“Well, now you know the rules.”

Kakashi laid there in contemplation for a moment.

“…why don’t you come with me? And stay at my place? It’s not as nice as here, but…”

Iruka looked at him with brief surprise. This was the second time Kakashi seemed reluctant to part ways. He dropped a kiss to his nose, before rising up off the bed and offering Kakashi his hand.

—

“Were you joking when you said your house wasn’t as nice as my tiny apartment? Because holy shit, Kakashi.” Iruka said, looking out at the pine forest through the floor to ceiling windows in the living room. A grey stone fireplace sat directly in front of two velvet evergreen couches. If Iruka could look out at the forest he so desperately loved, _every_ _day_, he would die happy.

“No, I wasn’t. This place is too cold and houses a lot of… memories.”

“Well, It hasn’t been lived in, in a while. It’s going to take time. You just need to decorate it a little more. Add some personal touches. Rearrange it, if it reminds you too much of the past.”

“Maybe you can help me with that.”

“The rearranging? Or the decorating? I mean I’m not particularly…”

“No, the personal touch.”

Iruka took a minute to absorb exactly what that meant. He concluded he wasn’t sure.

“You want my personal touch?”

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Iruka.

“Was earlier not convincing enough? You saw what your _personal_ _touch_ did to me.”

Iruka felt a blush bloom across his cheeks.

“Shut up,” he laughed, looking out the window as his face burned. “You know what I meant. I _thought_ you were being romantic for a second.”

“I was. I’m just giving you shit. I…” Kakashi paused, unsure. He didn’t want to come off too strong, but he also didn’t want to lie. He was too old to be dancing around feelings. Too old to ignore what he knew in his heart. He’d spent way too many years behind a metaphorical mask, hiding everything he felt. He was over it, _so_ over it. Iruka made him want to be vulnerable. Anytime he had showed the slightest hint of vulnerability tonight, Iruka had rewarded him beautifully—a smile, a blush, a kiss. No wonder positive reinforcement worked so well on dogs. Kakashi would jump through hoops for him. 

“…I know it’s soon, Iruka. But I-I’ve never felt like this before. About someone. I’m not asking you to move in or anything. I was just trying to say you’re welcome here whenever you want and that I _want_ you here and—”

Iruka kissed him.

“I understand. I feel it too, Kakashi.”

Kakashi took a deep inhale, relaxing a little as he exhaled, his self doubt melting away. It was only then that he noticed he’d been close to tears.

He turned away before Iruka could notice.

“Um,” Kakashi started, brushing the back of his hand across his nose, “would you like something to drink?” he asked, crossing over to the stainless steel fridge.

“I’m alright, thanks.”

Kakashi opened the freezer instead, to remove and place a large ziplock bag on the marble countertop. He lit up the stove, placing a massive skillet over the flame.

“Feeding your dogs isn’t as easy as pouring kibble in a bowl, is it?” Iruka speculated.

“Not exactly. My dogs are… unique. More wolf, than dog, actually.” Kakashi scratched at his neck nervously. “They eat mostly venison, or fish. I mix it with sweet potato or pumpkin and some greens. It’s already prepped and cooked. I just warm it to thaw it out.”

Iruka smiled to himself, finding this rather sweet. The man obviously loved his dogs deeply, to put in this kind of work.

When it was warmed thoroughly, Kakashi dished it into two bowls, before dropping several supplements into each, and mixing it around. He placed them on the floor in front of the sliding glass door that led to the deck.

Kakashi opened the door, stuck a few fingers in his mouth, and let out an absurdly loud whistle. 

Several moments later, two forms zipped out of the woods. If Iruka wasn’t so well-versed in what the wolves around here looked like, he would have been fooled. They were tall, lean, graceful, and undeniably beautiful. Much like their owner, Iruka noted.

“The darker one is Pakkun. The other is Uhei. You might want to step back,” Kakashi said a little nervously as they approached. “And wait for my signal. They can be…”

The words died in his throat as Uhei immediately came to rub against Iruka’s leg.

“…Aggressively friendly?” Iruka smiled, scratching Uhei behind the ears.

Kakashi stood there, mystified. This was _unfathomable_. The last person who had tried to pet his companions without permission was bitten. It wasn’t a serious bite, but it drew blood, and Kakashi had to fight a terrible lawsuit that accused his dogs of being rabid, feral beasts, who needed to be euthanized. When in fact, the person was just a fucking moron, who didn’t understand proper etiquette when approaching an animal. It was part of the reason why Kakashi moved back here—his dogs had a lot more freedom and there were less prying eyes. People gossiped like no other, but they still respected your privacy when it came down to it.

“Come on, pups,” Kakashi said, blinking away his bafflement. “Time to eat.”

—

After cleaning up the kitchen, Kakashi came back outside to find Iruka sitting on the second step of the wooden deck, his elbows braced over the first. He was leaning back, looking up at the sky, his hair loose about his shoulders.

“The stars are gorgeous out here, Kakashi.”

In Kakashi’s absence, Iruka had honed into the night. He could hear the soft rush of the river that he knew was roaring in the distance—the one he’d swam in so many times over the years; the one he used to cleanse his spirit when he felt overwhelmed and directionless.

Right now, Iruka felt anything but. He felt completely and utterly at peace, as an owl warbled from a nearby tree. He couldn’t help but feel like he belonged here. He _did_ belong here. These woods, and technically this house, were on native land, despite not being acknowledged as such.

But it wasn’t just these woods. Or this house. He felt like he belonged with Kakashi, too. It was strange, to be so sure, but it came straight from his soul. He’d be a fool to ignore it. Iruka wanted to share a part of himself that no one else got to see.

“Can we go for a hike tomorrow morning? There’s a place I’d like to show you.”

“Whatever you want,” Kakashi said, his words carrying a much bigger implication than the exchange at hand, as he wrapped an arm around Iruka’s shoulders.

He pressed a kiss into Iruka’s temple.

Whatever you want.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished! Yay!! °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> But....... I’m going to be adding a *short* (hopefully lmao) epilogue to tie up things with their future, the Uzumaki’s, and Iruka’s roots. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! 
> 
> Come find me on [tumblr](https://ladyxxdaydream.tumblr.com/)!!


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeeey, here I am, five months later, with the promised epilogue. ehhh eheheh. Chances are you might not even remember the plot, LMAO. I have nothing to say for myself.
> 
> Even though this an AU, I still said fuck the canon timeline and had Hashirama skip a few generations, lmao. \\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> EDIT: There is now un-fucking-believeable art of Iruka to go along with this chapter. 
> 
> [View it here](https://ladyxxdaydream.tumblr.com/post/611155811053502464/iruka-commission-by-postscratch-a-scene-from/)!!

**WINTER**

Iruka stepped outside just as the sun was rising, sliding the glass door shut behind him. The frigid air filling his lungs woke him the rest of the way up. He walked across the wooden deck, and down the steps, easily falling into the routine he’d carved out for himself. 

His heavy boots left holes in the snow, the crunch of it beneath his feet the only sound to be heard. The dead silence of winter was one of Iruka’s favorite things. It was as if nature was providing him with the opportunity to reflect and meditate without interference, begging for him to go deeper. To be introspective. 

And Iruka had so much to think about. 

He tightened the knot of his _lliclla_ across his chest, as he walked deeper into the forest. The colors of the square woven cloth—a mixture of salmon pink, burnt orange, and black—contrasted starkly against the white of his wool sweater. He remembered being carried inside it on his mother’s back when he was a child. And when he was grown, she’d wear it in the colder months to keep her shoulders and back warm, fashioned like a large shawl, which is exactly how Iruka was using it now. The _lliclla_ used to be the only thing he had of his mother’s, until he reconnected with his father’s tribe last year. Iruka had come to find that they’d kept several of his parent’s things, in case he ever returned. 

Now that he had returned, he felt ashamed for waiting so long to do so. Fear had kept him away: fear of rejection, fear he had been too “westernized”, fear that he’d be a stranger in both societies, not quite fitting into either. He had been wrong. _So_ wrong. Iruka couldn’t even begin to describe the sense of validation and relief he felt when he saw his own face reflected back at him; a face that belonged to his father. The same eyes. The same nose. The same hair. Iruka was a shade darker than everyone else, but that’s because his skin belonged to his mother, to the steep slopes of the Andes. 

Iruka stopped in front of a large white pine, collecting a handful of needles for tea. Hashirama had taught him how to identify the white pine—the pine needles came in bundles of five instead of two, and were more blue-green in color versus the purer green of some of the others. They were extremely high in vitamin C, making them a good tonic in the winter to stave off illness. 

Hashirama had taught him many things; an elder who had taken Iruka under his wing. Iruka had to all but pinch himself back into reality when they were first introduced. They were nearly _identical_—Iruka felt as if he were looking at himself 50 years in the future. 

As he placed the bundles inside a pouch that hung at his side, Iruka noticed a large rabbit off to his right. He was thankful that Pakkun and Uhei remained sentry at Kakashi’s side while he slept, otherwise that rabbit would be in for one hell of a morning. 

* * *

Iruka poured two steaming mugs of pine tea, dropping a slice of lemon, and drizzle of honey into each, before heading to the bedroom. Kakashi was always awake by the time he came back from his morning hike. 

Predictably, he found Kakashi sitting upright in their bed, reading. Iruka placed the tea on the nightstand to cool. 

“_Icha Icha_ again?” Iruka asked, removing the book from Kakashi’s hands as he came to straddle his lap.

Kakashi had bought the series right after he finished reading them, when he first checked them out at the library two years ago. 

Kakashi nuzzled his nose against Iruka’s in greeting, before trailing it across his check.

“Your nose is cold,” he said, his voice rough and deep from sleep still.

“Mm, and so are my fingers,” Iruka said, slipping them under Kakashi’s thermal.

“Hey—_ah_,” Kakashi laughed, grimacing at the touch. He tried to fight Iruka off, squirming beneath him. “Fuck, they’re cold. Come on.”

“But you’re so w-_warm_.” Iruka’s voice came out punctuated due to being jostled around by his partner. 

Not gaining any traction, Kakashi abruptly changed tactics, kissing Iruka passionately on the mouth. Iruka instantly relaxed, and Kakashi swiftly removed Iruka’s icy fingers from his skin, wrapping his hands around Iruka’s wrists to prevent them from returning. 

“_You_ are a cheat,” Iruka said, pulling away from his mouth for a minute.

“I like to play dirty,” Kakashi said, before nipping at Iruka’s chin. “You should know that by now.”

Iruka kissed him again, dropping more of his weight into Kakashi’s lap in the process. He chuckled against Kakashi’s mouth when he felt Kakashi half-hard beneath him.

“How can a book you’ve read a million times still excite you?” Iruka teased, trying to free his wrists, but Kakashi wouldn’t budge. 

“It wasn’t the book that did that to me. I dreamt of you.”

“Oh?” Iruka quirked an eyebrow at him. “And what did that entail exactly?”

Kakashi pushed back Iruka’s hair to whisper in his ear. Iruka was fully prepared for a raunchy wet dream, which was somehow less embarrassing than the alternative, so when Iruka was graced with something so _very_ romantic, it surprised him into a full body blush.

It made him want to fall a part. 

Iruka cleared his throat.

“The tea’s going to get cold,” he said, attempting to remove himself from Kakashi’s lap, feeling suddenly nervous, but Kakashi held him there.

“Let it.”

**SUMMER**

Kakashi weaved his way through the trees, following the narrow dirt path he’d come to know so well. Despite spending his childhood years on this land, he felt like a stranger compared to Iruka’s knowledge of it. For example, he had had no idea there was a swimming hole a mere twenty minute hike downstream. When Iruka had first showed it to him two years ago, his jaw almost hit the ground. It was gorgeous, and absolutely pristine. 

It made Kakashi want to fall to his knees—he understood then what Iruka meant about it being a sacred space. 

The trees gave way to boulders as the path started to descend. He spotted Iruka on a smooth rock, basking in the sun. His legs were submerged up to his calves, lazily toeing at a small waterfall to his left. 

Iruka looked beautiful, stretched back on his elbows, squinting up at the sun. His skin turned rather dark this time of year, due to the excessive amount of time he spent outside, and Kakashi was weak for the tan lines that emerged as a consequence. Iruka could try all he wanted, but he’d never be able to convince Kakashi that the outline his swim trunks left on his skin was anything less than adorable. It was the one time of year Iruka’s ass looked paler than his own—_of course_ he was going to revel in it. 

As Kakashi neared, he let his eyes rove over Iruka’s chest, admiring the titanium pierced through both of his nipples, before being drawn down to his tattoo. There was something so alluring about those bold black strokes hugging his hips. They acted like a curling finger, beckoning Kakashi closer.

Before Kakashi could contemplate it any further, Iruka caught him staring. 

The smile that greeted Kakashi made his breath catch in his throat. He still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have Iruka in his life.

“Hey,” Iruka said. “How was breakfast with Minato?” 

“Good. Same as always. And how was your morning, dear?” Kakashi teased, coming to sit beside him.

Iruka lifted his hand from the warm rock to wiggle his fingers cutely at Kakashi. They were stained a deep purple.

“I binged on berries. It took me over an hour to pick them on the way here. There are _so many_, and we’re only at the start of the season,” Iruka said excitedly, reaching to drag his bag towards them. “We should make jam.”

“And pie,” Kakashi suggested. “Lots of pies.”

Kakashi wasn’t usually a fan of sweets, but for some reason if it was made by Iruka, he was all about it. He’d eat anything that man gave him. Enthusiastically. 

Iruka held out a berry between his fingers, and Kakashi took it with his mouth more lewd than necessary. When he swallowed it down, he leaned in to give Iruka a passionate kiss.

“Funny, I was just thinking about how I’d eat anything you had to offer,” Kakashi said, when they pulled a part. 

Iruka gave him a knowing smirk, the wording not lost on him.

“Hm. Maybe we should go back, then. I have something you might like.”

Kakashi felt excitement pool low in his belly. It took all his strength not to sprint his ass home, carry Iruka with him, and spread his lover open on their bed.

…He came here to swim, after all. 

“After we make out in the water,” Kakashi said, stripping out of his shirt. “I want to feel you nice and wet first.”

He jumped off the rock at that, and Iruka dove in after him.

**SPRING**

“It says to put them in whole,” Iruka read from his chair at the counter, referencing one of his mother’s journals. 

Mito had given them to him, along with the _lliclla_. Iruka had come to find that Mito and his mother were quite close. He cherished every story Mito was able to tell him. Iruka remembered his mother speaking heavily accented English, but several of the entries, along with this recipe, were written in _Quechua_. It had taken Iruka a long time to find someone who was able to help him translate it. In the end, it was an academic, who had conducted an anthropological study on the language. _Quechua_ was still spoken throughout South America, but seeing as Iruka had no contacts there (that he knew of), this had been the only alternative. Iruka held a sneaking suspicion that his mother would have taught him the language, if she had been alive to do it.

Kakashi added the whole fiddleheads to the pan, swirling them around in the butter. While Iruka’s cooking had improved drastically over the years, he still preferred to see Kakashi in the kitchen. He found it sexy—there was something about the black apron, the expert handling of a knife, and the way his sleeves were rolled back to his forearms, that made Iruka drool with various forms of hunger. 

Rain was steadily beating down on the windows, a fire crackling in the hearth. The dogs were lying in front of it on the rug, tenderly grooming each other. Iruka almost crawled on the floor to join them, the warmth of snuggling animals and a fire becoming increasingly enticing after the long day he’d had. 

Iruka had checked the salmon nets early this morning with Hashirama, and the haul was tremendous. They, and several others, had spent the better part of the day preparing the fish to be stored. When he had come home, Uhei and Pakkun were all over him—slobbering his skin, nipping playfully at his clothes, begging for any sort of scraps. Iruka thought he still smelled like fish, despite his hair being damp from a shower, or maybe the scent was just stuck in his nose. 

“Did you find any oyster mushrooms while I was out?” Iruka asked, taking a lazy sip from his wine. 

“I did. There was a big patch of them on that crest Uhei likes.”

“Excellent,” Iruka said, getting up to wrap his arms around Kakashi’s torso. If he didn’t move, he’d probably fall asleep. He settled his chin in the nook of Kakashi’s neck. “Would you like me to slice them up?”

“I already did,” Kakashi said, sliding them into the pan.

“Oh, look at you,” Iruka teased, placing a kiss near his ear. “Guess I’m not needed here.”

Kakashi grabbed Iruka’s forearms before he could leave.

“You’re always needed,” Kakashi said, pulling Iruka’s arms forward, forcing him to hug Kakashi tightly from behind. He brought Iruka’s fingers to his lips, and kissed them. “Even if it’s only for something pretty to look at.” 

Iruka bit into his shoulder blade. 

_“Ow_,_”_ Kakashi laughed, letting Iruka go. “Sear the salmon if you want. I’m almost done here,” Kakashi said, shaking the pan to toss the contents around.

“Thanks. You’re _so_ kind,” Iruka drawled. 

Kakashi whipped him with a towel he pulled from the handle of the oven. 

“It’s marinating over there, smartass,” Kakashi said, when he saw Iruka glancing around for it.

Iruka stuck his tongue out at his partner, grabbing the glass bowl from the marble countertop. He dropped the fillets into the cast iron skillet Kakashi had already preheated. Last spring they had gone camping, and cooked the fish on cedar sticks inside a bonfire. It was Iruka’s favorite way to eat salmon, and his favorite memory with Kakashi so far.

Iruka looked out the windows wistfully, as the salmon sizzled and popped.

“I hope the rain let’s up soon. I told Tsunade I’d host a workshop at the end of the week on how to press and preserve wildflowers. I figured the kids could make little bookmarks or field guides with them.”

Iruka had been promoted at the library last year. He was now the head of the Education Outreach Program, in addition to being a librarian. It came with a nice pay raise, not that they needed it. After Iruka had moved in, Kakashi had informed him of his _massive_ inheritance: it was enough for both of them to never have to work again, which Iruka starkly refused to do. He loved his job, especially this new position. He hadn’t considered how much he’d actually enjoy teaching children, but he’d really taken the role in stride.

“Cute,” Kakashi said fondly. “Can I come? I could use a new bookmark for _Paradise_.”

“If you bring Icha Icha around the children, I _will_ kill you.”

“Hmm,” Kakashi hummed, considering. “Sounds kinky.” 

Iruka smacked Kakashi’s ass with the spatula, as laughter filled the kitchen. 

**FALL**

“How did the reading go?” Kakashi asked from his sprawl on the couch, Pakkun draped halfway across his chest. He had his hand wrapped around the long, wolfish snout of his dog, rocking it back and forth, as Pakkun grumbled happily in play. 

“Pretty good, I think?” Iruka said, dropping his bag and keys on the counter, before looking at Tsunade for confirmation.

Tsunade shrugged.

“We had two parents complain, and one child removed, which is a lot less than I expected.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow in question.

“They thought the use of the word ‘genocide’ was too strong,” Iruka said, with a slight roll of his eyes.

Seeing as how today was Thanksgiving, Iruka had decided to read a children’s book written by a First Nations author who wrote about the real history concerning this day. Iruka knew it was going to be controversial, but it didn’t make it any less true, and quite frankly, he didn’t care.

For a lot of people, today wasn’t a celebration. It was a reminder of the horrors their ancestors had experienced. While some people Iruka knew had abandoned the holiday altogether, he wasn’t asking for people to stop celebrating Thanksgiving. He was proposing that they stop perpetuating the false ‘friendly pilgrims and Indians’ narrative, and focus on celebrating values like unity, generosity, and gratitude. 

And _maybe_ to adjust their Thanksgiving feasts to include food traditionally eaten by Native people. November was Native American Heritage Month after all.

“White people hate to be uncomfortable, especially when one of their precious holidays is under fire,” Tsunade said, opening a cabinet in the kitchen. “Where’d you move the liquor, kid?

“Above the fridge,” Kakashi replied, who was currently trying to fight off Uhei from climbing on top of him, too.

As Iruka had gotten to know his boss over the years, it turned out they had some common roots— Tsunade had Chinook blood, too. Her immediate family had already passed, and most of her remaining relatives had shunned her due to her terrible gambling habit and excessive drinking problem, but Iruka had a soft spot for her, He had taken to inviting her over for holidays, knowing she usually spent them alone. (Even if that meant they had to hide all of their liquor beforehand, leaving only one small bottle visible.)

“Arts and crafts went well though,” Iruka said, uncorking a bottle of wine.

“Until little Timmy threw a tantrum,” Tsunade said, pouring herself a drink. “And you had to explain to his mother why her brat couldn’t make a headdress out of construction paper.” She knocked it back in one go, before pouring another. 

“True,” Iruka laughed, making his way to the couch with a wine glass in each hand. He poked at Kakashi with his foot, asking him to make room, while shooing Pakkun off the cushions. “Seems she didn’t understand the concept of cultural appropriation very well.” 

He handed the extra wine glass to Kakashi, who clinked it against Iruka’s with a loving smile and a wink. 

“Typical,” Tsunade grunted. "Anyway, I came here to eat. Iruka said you made braised rabbit, Kakashi, and I want it,” Tsunade said, lifting a heavy lid off a pot on the stove.

“Get your fingers out of there!” Iruka chastised from the sofa. “We have to wait for the Uzumaki’s, like a proper family. And don’t say some bullshit about not being family—,” Iruka said in warning, knowing exactly what Tsunade was mumbling about—“You’re stuck with us now.” 

“Annoying, the lot of you,” she said, shuffling over to the sofas, drink in hand. 

* * *

After a meal of braised rabbit, smoked turkey, wild rice with mushrooms, and maple baked beans with roasted squash and hominy, everyone had scattered about the house to deal with their food comas. 

Tsunade had fallen asleep on one of the sofas, snoring, while Kushina and Minato sat on the other with Ino and Sakura, who had joined them for dessert. 

Iruka and Kakashi were sitting outside on a porch swing, huddled beneath a woolen blanket, as they gently rocked back and forth, sipping on tea. 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Iruka mused, gazing at Naruto and Sasuke in the distance. They were sitting on a large log from a felled tree.

“They’re undying love for each other,” Kakashi quipped.

“Be nice.” Iruka laughed, bumping his shoulder into Kakashi, who held his tea away from his lap so it wouldn’t spill and burn him. 

“I don’t know if they’ll ever confess.” Iruka admitted above his own mug, which he clutched in both hands. 

Suddenly, Sasuke stood up and threw his hands in the air, while Naruto cast his head down towards his feet. They seemed to be engaged in some sort of conflict.

“See, told you. Lover’s spat,” Kakashi chuckled, taking a sip of his tea.

Just as suddenly, Sasuke grabbed Naruto by the sides of his coat and kissed him. 

“Oh…I was kidding?” Kakashi said, awestruck. 

“_Oh my god oh my god oh my god._” Iruka said in a panic, setting his tea on a glass table top before pulling the blanket up to cover most of his face. He slapped Kakashi on the arm. “Stop looking!” he hissed. “They deserve some privacy.”

Kakashi deposited his tea on the table, too, before pulling the blanket over both their heads.

“And this is more inconspicuous, Iruka? Really?”

Iruka thought about how only the upper halves of their bodies were covered now, their legs hanging blanket-less from the swing. It was a _ridiculous_ image. It made him buckle into a laugh.

“I love you,” he blurted.

“I love you, too.” Kakashi said, swiping a finger down Iruka’s nose, causing him to scrunch it cutely. 

Kakashi pulled him into a kiss, unable to resist.

“What are you doing under there?” came Naruto’s voice, colored with something Iruka could only surmise was pure happiness. 

Iruka’s eyes bugged out of his head at Kakashi, who just smirked at him before removing the blanket. 

“Making out,” Kakashi said, nonchalantly. 

“This is your house. Why don’t you just go to the bedroom?” Sasuke said, unamused.

“We like to take risks,” Kakashi shrugged, inching his fingers along Iruka’s thigh. “It’s thrilling.”

Iruka elbowed him away.

“We weren’t making out,” Iruka said, glaring at his partner.

“Riiiiight,” Naruto smirked, not believing them. “Um, I think we’re going to head out now,” Naruto glanced at Sasuke, his cheeks flushing. “Thank you for dinner. It was _uh-mazing._” 

“You’re welcome. I’ll send Minato with leftovers,” Iruka promised.

“You’re the best!” Naruto said, before embracing them both in a hug.

Sasuke gave them a small smile in departure, as he followed Naruto back into the house to say the rest of their goodbyes. 

Iruka sighed contently, picking his tea back up. He rested his head against Kakashi’s shoulder, as he started to rock the swing again. While Iruka knew Kakashi tired from socializing easily—hence their retreat to the porch—Iruka _loved_ when the house was full. He loved it so much that he couldn’t wait around for holidays to get his fix; they have everybody over at least once a month for dinner, and sometimes Iruka still felt like that wasn’t enough. 

“Do you want children?” Iruka asked, feeling like the timing was right. 

Kakashi was quiet for a few moments. Iruka had learned to read Kakashi’s silences for what they were. It wasn’t hesitation like he had initially thought. Kakashi simply liked to think things through before answering immediately. Iruka liked that about him.

“I think we have four already,” Kakashi said, eyeing Sasuke, Naruto, Ino, and Sakura through the glass door.

Iruka laughed, but refrained from clarifying. He knew Kakashi understood what he meant and would answer him shortly. Iruka had also learned that Kakashi had a tendency to be indirect, before he got around to what he actually wanted to say. 

“I never wanted children,” Kakashi said, after a minute. “but being with you has me reconsidering.” 

Warmth filled Iruka's chest.

“You’re still not sure?” Iruka asked. He wasn’t completely heartbroken, but he had hoped_ a little_. They were in their early thirties after all, if they were going think about children, it needed to be soon.

“You’d make an incredible parent, Iruka. It’s me I’m not sure about,” Kakashi admitted. 

“It’s that what’s got you conflicted?” Iruka asked, leaning back to look at Kakashi better.

Iruka could work with that. It’s not that Kakashi didn’t _want_ children, it’s that he was afraid of fucking up. It made Iruka’s heart ache, but he understood. 

Kakashi remained silent, which was answer enough. 

Iruka bit his lip.

“We both know what it's like to grow up without parents,” Iruka started, but when Kakashi didn’t look at him, he grabbed his hand and entangled their fingers together. “And all things considered, I think we turned out pretty alright,” Iruka reassured him, giving Kakashi’s hand a squeeze in an attempt to lighten the mood. Kakashi did look at him then, a smile in his eyes. 

“You’d be a wonderful parent," Iruka told him. "You’re entirely capable."

Kakashi didn’t look convinced, so Iruka tried to come from a more personal angle.

“I’d trust you with my child, Kakashi. I trust you with my life.”

Kakashi met his eyes again. The smile was gone, replaced with a wetness that threatened to spill over.

“I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone but you,” Iruka said, his voice turned rough with emotion. “We don’t have to decide now, I just thought I’d ask and—,”

Iruka was cut off with a hard kiss to his lips. 

“Yes,” Kakashi said, when he finally pulled away. “If it’s with you, yes.”

Iruka wiped the tears away from Kakashi’s cheeks with his thumbs, just as the door slid open.

“What’s got you two all sappy, huh?” Kushina asked when she stepped outside, Minato close behind her.

“Uh,” Iruka responded, a little shakily. “How do you two feel about being grandparents?”

_“YES!”_ Kushina cried, launching herself at them both, causing the swing to creak alarmingly beneath the added weight. “Yes, yes, yes! Gimmie gremlins!” She slid into Iruka’s lap and planted three kisses in quick succession to his cheek.

“I’d be honored,” Minato added, reaching out to place a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder. 

Kushina got up to wrap an arm around her husband’s waist, squealing into his chest. They all remained silent for a beat, basking in the glow of the moment.

“…so whose going to break it to Tsunade that she’s going to be a grandma?” Kakashi asked, mischievously. 

“WHAT’D YOU SAY, BRAT?!” Tsunade yelled from inside. “NO ONE’S CALLING ME GRANDMA!!!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're familiar with my NATA-universe, you know I have a tendency to get a little political, heh. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I really wanted to show Iruka connecting back to his roots, figuratively and literally, by forming a kinship with his people, and the land around him as well. It only made sense to divide the epilogue into seasons in order to highlight this!
> 
> I'd love to hear what you think!
> 
> As always, feel free to come find me on [tumblr](https://ladyxxdaydream.tumblr.com/)!! I love chatting with you all. Seriously. It's the best. :D


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